Easel support for counter display box



Jan. 10, 1956 H. S. TAYLOR, JR

EASEL SUPPORT FOR COUNTER DISPLAY BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 29,1951 INVENTOR hmdd. 150 1044.

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ATTORNEYS Jan. 10, 1956 H. s. TAYLOR, JR

EASEL SUPPORT FOR COUNTER DISPLAY BOX Filed NOV. 29, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet2 a z z a J 411 0 INVENTOR fimzwaaddflqhy i 72401: W6 k mw ATTORNEYBUnited States Patent EASEL SUPPORT FOR COUNTER DISPLAY BOX Harwood S.Taylor, Jr., Elmira, N. Y., assignor to F. M. Howell & Co., Elmira, N.Y.

Application November 29, 1951, Serial No. 258,885

4 Claims. (Cl. 248-198) This invention relates to easels for displayboxes, and more particularly to foldable easels which may or may not bea permanent part of the box.

The object of the present invention is to provide a foldable easelwhich, when in inoperative position, will lie flat upon the back of thebox with its edges parallel with the edges of the box, and when inoperative position will form an inclined platform to support the box atan angle.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an easel which may bepermanently attached to a box or be readily attachable to, or detachablefrom, the box.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdescription of practical embodiments thereof, when taken in conjunctionwith the drawings which accompany, and form a part of, thisspecification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the underside of a display box with aneasel embodying the principles of the present invention attached theretoand lying in collapsed form;

Figure 2 is a similar perspective view with the easel set up for use;

Figure 3 is an elevation of the bottom of the box with the easel cut insection along its lines of fold in collapsed form;

Figure 4 is an other elevation of the bottom of the box with the easelcut in section along its lines of fold when in erected form;

Figure 5 is a view of the blank from which the easel is made;

Figure 6 is a bottom elevation of the box with the easel cut in sectionalong its lines of fold when in collapsed form, the easel beingdetachably connected to the box;

Figure 7 is a vertical section through the box and easel in set-up form;and,

Figure 8 is a view of the modifiedeasel blank for use whendetachably-securing the easel to the box.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and first adverting to Figure 5which shows the blank from which the easel is made, it will be notedthat the blank 1 is rectangular in form, as ABCD.

The end portions of the blank are set off from the center portion byscore lines EH and KL to form panels 2 and 3 for adhesively attachingthe easel to the underside of the box with which it is to be used. Scoreline EH is spaced from the edge AD the desired width of the attachingpanel 2, and the line EH is parallel to the edge AD so that the panel 2is rectangular. Panel 3 is in the shape of a right angle trapezoid withthe line KL non-parallel to the edge BC. The side LC of panel 3 is equalto the short sides AE and DH of panel 2, although this is not necessarybut done to acquire symmetry. Side KB is longer than side LC by one-halfof the desired height of the easel when set up for use.

A distance equal to the desired height of the easel when set up is thenmarked off along the edge of the blank inwardly from the point L to givethe point G, and

inwardly from the point H to provide the point J. The line FG is madeperpendicular to the top and bottom edges of the blank, and the line His put in parallel to the line KL. The resulting trapezoids EIIH andFKLG are provided with diagonals IH and KG, respectively. This resultsin panels 4 and 5 which are right angle triangles, panels 6 and 7 whichare isosceles triangles, and the center easel panel 8 which is a rightangle trapezoid. All of the lines, EH, IH, II, FG, KG, and KL are foldlines and are scored to permit easy folding.

When the easel is to be applied to a box 9, the blank is folded backupon itself along the score lines EH and PG, and the panels 2 and 3adhesively secured to the bottom of the box. This is the shipping, orknocked-down, position of the easel. The folding along these linesresults in an exposed rectangular panel EFGH which is composed of thepanels 4, 6 and 8. Due to the shifting of the easel in assuming its setup position (to be described) the easel is mounted on the box to oneside of the center, so that the base of the easel will be centered withrespect to the side edges of the box when set up for use. It is to benoted, that when the easel is folded along the lines EH and FG, asdescribed, the exposed rectangular panel EFGH includes the panels 4 and6, and the panels 5 and 7 are folded under with the panel 3 to formanother rectangular panel FBCG. It should be noted at this point, thatit is not necessary that the panels 6 and 7 be triangular, so long asthe opposite sides converge as equal angles.

Thus, three rectangular panels are formed, two being folded under, thepanel 2 and the panel FBCG, andone left exposed, the panel EFGH. Thispermits the easel, in inoperative position, to have all of its sideedges parallel to the sides of the box to which the easel is attached.

When it is desired to use the easel to set up the box for display, it isnecessary merely to shift the easel as far as possible to the right, asviewed in Figure 1. This causes a hinging action at every one of thefold lines as the various panels change their relative positions. Panel4 shifts to a position against the bottom of the box in continuation ofpanel 2 so that the resulting panel AlHD is exactly the same size andshape as panel 3, with the inclined edges KL and IH of the two panelsdiverging with respect to each other. The panel 6 assumes a positionperpendicular to the bottom of the box, as does the panel 7. Thetriangular panels 6 and 7 then form the sides of the easel to angularlyposition the base with respect to the bottom of the box. Panel 5 shiftsto become part of the resulting base of the easel which assumes theshape of an isosceles trapezoid.

When all of the panels have hinged about their respective fold lines totake their set up positions, the easel is centered with respect to theside edges of the box and forms av very stable support for the box. Whenthe box is set up upon a counter it will be positioned at an angle andits contents will be advantageously displayed.

It may be desirable to have the easel separate from the display box sothat a quantity of easels may be shipped separately from the boxes, oran easel in folded form may be placed inside the top of each box so thatit may be removed and attached to the bottom of the box when the box isto be displayed. Such a form is shown in Figures 6 to 8, inclusive, ofthe drawings.

In this form, the blank 10 is considerably longer than the onepreviously described, but the additional length is taken up by the endpanels 11 and 12. Panels 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 remain the same in shape andsize. The end panels are made sufiiciently long so that when the blankis folded upon score lines EH and FG the panels will overlap one anotherto form a flattened tube. The

overlapping portions of panels 11 and 12 are joined together by adhesiveor other suitable means.

This display box 13, with which this form of the invention is to beused, is cut on its bottom to form four attaching tabs 14. These tabsare spaced apart transversely of the box sufiiciently to overlie the topand bottom edges of the turned-under portion of the easel, and spacedlongitudinally so that they will engage only the panel formed by theoverlapped end panels 11 and 12. This latter is necessary so that theother panels will be free to swing about their fold lines to assumetheir diflerent positions.

In using this form of the invention, the end panel side of the easel hasone edge slipped under two of the tabs 14, and the other two tabsare-lifted to allow the other edge of the easel to drop flat against thebox bottom. The last-mentioned pair of tabs are then released and theywill spring into overlapping engagement with the easel. When attached tothe box, the easel is used in exactly the same manner as was describedin connection with the first form.

While two practical embodiments of the invention have been disclosedherein, it will be understood that this is merely by way of example, andthe invention may take other forms within the scope of the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A blank for an easel for displaying articles comprising, arectangular sheet having a transverse line of fold perpendicular to itsedges and a line of fold spaced from the first line of fold and inclinedwith respect thereto to form a central panel, a line of fold oppositelyinclined with respect to said first inclined line of fold, the twoinclined lines of fold at equal angles with respect to one side edge ofsaid sheet'and forming between them a side panel, a line of foldperpendicular to the edges of the sheet intersecting said oppositelyinclined line of fold at the side edge of the sheet and forming withsaid second inclined line of fold a right angle triangular converterpanel, the hypotenuse of the right angle triangle and one side of theside panel being common, an inclined line of fold meeting the side edgeof the sheet at a common point with said first perpendicular line offold forming a second right angle triangular converter panel identicalto the first, and a line of fold oppositely inclined to said lastmentioned inclined line of fold to form a second side panel identical tothe first, the remaining end portions of the sheet forming end panelsfor attaching the easel to the article to be displayed.

2. A blank from which an easel for supporting an article in an inclinedposition may be folded comprising, a rectangular sheet having two spacedtransverse. lines of fold perpendicular to the long sides of the sheetdividing the sheet into three rectangular sections, one end section ofsaid three being subdivided by a line of fold extending from theintersection of the fold line bounding said section and one long edge ofsaid sheet to the opposite long edge of .the sheet at an angle to saidboundary fold line to form a right-triangular converter panel andanother line of fold oppositely inclined extending from the intersectionof said last mentioned line of fold with the said opposite long edge ofthe sheet to the said one long edge to form between said inclined linesof fold an isosceles triangular side panel, and the center of said threesections being sub-divided adjacent to the fold line between the centersection and remaining section by two fold lines identically inclined andpositioned with respect to the fold line between the center section andsaid other side section as are the inclined fold lines on saidfirst-mentioned end section to the said boundary fold line to formconverter and side panels on said center section identical to those onsaid firstmentioned end section.

3. A collapsible easel for displaying an article in an inclined positioncomprising, a pair of end panels, one being rectangular and the otherhaving an inclined edge, both said panels being secured to the articleto be displayed, a right triangular converter panel hingedlyconnectedalong one right angle side to one edge of said rectangular endpanel, a side panel of isosceles triangular shape hingedly connectedalong one inclined edge to the hypotenuse edge of said converter panel,said converter and end panels adapted to swing about their respectivehinge connections to lie parallel to and upon the end panel to whichsaid converter panel is connected when the easel is collapsed, and saidconverter panel to lie in the plane of the end panels and said sidepanel at right angles thereto when the easel is erected, a second sidepanel of isosceles triangular shape hingedly connected along oneinclined end to the inclined edge of the other said end panel, a secondright triangular converter panel hingedly connected along its hypotenuseside to the other inclined edge of the said second side panel, saidsecond side and converter panels adapted to swing about their respectivehinge connections to lie in the plane of said other end panel and formcontinuations thereof when the easel is collapsed, and said second sidepanel to be perpendicular to the end panel to which it is attached andsaid second converter panel to be perpendicular to said second sidepanel and overlying said other end panel when the easel is erected, anda base panel having the shape of a right angle trapezoid having itsright angle side edge hingedly connected to the right angle side of saidsecond converter panel and its inclined side edge hingedly connected tothe remaining inclined side of said first mentioned side panel.

4. A collapsible easel for displaying an article in an inclined positioncomprising, end panels for attaching to the underside of the article tobe displayed, one being rectangular and the other having an inclinedside, a converter panel hingedly connected to one edge of saidrectangular end panel, said converter panel being of such shape thatwhen the converter panel and the end panel to which it is attached liein the same plane their combined outline is similar to that of the endpanel having the inclined side, a base panel of right angle trapezoidalshape, a converter panel hingedly connected to the right angle edge ofsaid base panel of such shape that the combined outline of the twopanels form an isosceles trapezoid, and side panels having inclined sideedges hingedly connected respectively to the first-mentioned converterpanel and one edge of the base panel and to the second-mentionedconverter panel and the inclined side of the end panel.

Stone Jan. 1, 1918 Gray July 30, 1929

